


Save the Day

by shanachie



Series: My Private Nation [14]
Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: But I know people want to be warned), M/M, Nick is in an uncomfortable situation, Possible issues for pushing Nick to do something he doesn’t want, slight non-con (nothing terrible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 03:39:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4690718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shanachie/pseuds/shanachie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Greg reveals something to help Nick out of an issue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Save the Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WhoGeek](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhoGeek/gifts).



> So this is probably the only one that ever is even slightly dipping into the actual show and I realized after watching it, that I clearly haven’t seen the episode in a while. So this isn’t even actually like the episode, it just takes the idea from it. One more after this!

Nick twisted his head away as Kristi leaned in to kiss him. “Kristi. I’m…flattered, but I can’t.”

She sat back with a huff. “Okay, did I read something wrong here? Because I’m normally pretty good at reading the signals. It is, was, kinda my job.”

“Yes. No. Most likely.” Nick blushed, surprised to find himself stuttering. “I’m with someone. And I don’t cheat.”

Kristi covered her mouth, snorting out a laugh. “Nick Stokes, you cannot be for real.”

Nick grinned. “Yeah. G tells me that all the time. But I just. I can’t do that. I shouldn’t have even come in with you.”

She leaned back, curling her feet up under her on the couch. “Did you two have a fight or something?”

Nick shook his head. “What? No. I was out with an old college buddy. G had to work tonight. We’re not joined at the hip or anything. We just don’t always get the same days off.”

“So what was with all the flirting with me?” Kristi ran a finger up his arm where it rested on the back of the couch.

“I…wasn’t flirting. Exactly.” Nick sighed. “We work together and even though G’s in the lab and I’m in the field, no one knows we’re together. It’s not exactly against regs, but it’s not…” he trailed off.

Leaning her head on her hand, she commented, “That must be tough.”

Nick shrugged. “We’ve been through worse. But…” He glanced at his watch. “I should get going. It’s getting late.”

Kristi grinned. “I know. You should bring your G over sometime. I’d love to go out with the two of you.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Kristi.”

“Are you ashamed of knowing me?” she demanded.

“No, but you don’t know G. Or me really. I’m just not sure it’ll be in everyone’s best interests.”

She leaned in, kissing his cheek lightly. “Well, you think about it. And let me know.”

“I will. Make sure you lock up after me, okay?”

 

 

 

Greg looked up from his book as Nick entered their bedroom. “Hey, you have fun with your buddy?”

“Yeah it was fine,” Nick answered, leaning over to kiss Greg hello. He frowned when Greg wrinkled his nose. “What’s wrong?”

“You reek of perfume and…” Greg put his hand on Nick’s chin, using the grip to turn his head to the side. “Who’s lipstick are you wearing?”

“Oh. I ran into Kristi when we were coming out of the casino. She was having some trouble and I gave her a hand and a ride home. She invited me in for a glass of wine.”

“Niiicky.” Greg grinned. “You went home with a prostitute and didn’t invite me? What were you thinking?”

Nick shook his head. “Darlin’, you are seriously twisted. You know most guys would be upset in this situation. You just wanna know why I didn’t invite you.”

“But I thought you liked my twisted.”

“I love your twisted,” Nick replied, leaning in to kiss Greg again. He pulled back when Greg made a face. “I’m going to go shower, okay?”

“Want some help?” Greg asked.

“I think I can manage,” Nick replied.

When he returned, Greg had moved over so Nick had enough room to get into bed. As soon as the dark haired man lay down, Greg wrapped himself around Nick; making it clear the Texan wasn’t going anywhere. “Much better,” he murmured once he was settled.

“Good.” Nick rubbed Greg’s back as he felt the blonde relax against him. “I would have much rather been with you.”

 

 

 

 

“You can’t be in here.” Greg looked up as Nick walked into his lab.

Nick blinked. “Um. Since when? What’s going on?”

“Since the evidence I’m running pertains to a case that involves you,” Greg replied, stopping what he was doing. “If it was anything else…”

“Don’t you think it might be a conflict of interest for you to be running that?” Nick asked.

Greg sighed. “Well, it’s all I can do since you won’t let me _tell_ Catherine where you were.”

“Greg, what are you going to tell her? Because if you tell her the truth, it’ll go into the case file, and there goes everything we’ve worked so hard for.”

Greg almost slammed his hands down on the table, but stopped himself; knowing he’d break something or destroy evidence if he did. “Do you _really_ think I care about that? I can find another goddamn job. I’d rather have to look for another job than lose _you_!”

“We both know I didn’t do it,” Nick responded.

“Yeah. _We_ do.” Greg indicated the lab with a wave of his hand. “But _they_ don’t. And for some reason you’re adamant that I don’t alibi you!”

“Because I can’t be the reason you lose a job that you love,” Nick replied quietly.

Greg reached out and touched his hand briefly. “I love you more,” he said quietly.

“G, I just don’t…”

“I’m going to tell her,” Greg decided. “Because I just can’t take this anymore.”

Nick stared at him for a minute. “All right. When are you going to talk to her?”

“When is he going to talk to who? About what?” Catherine asked from the doorway.

Greg glanced at Nick who nodded in response. “You. About Nick.”

“Did you finish processing the rope? Nick, you shouldn’t be in here,” Catherine pointed out.

“It’s still running and I finished the setup before Nick walked in. But it’s not going to matter because Nick couldn’t have done it,” Greg answered.

“Greg, I appreciate your loyalty to your friend, but just believing isn’t enough,” Catherine replied.

“Nick couldn’t have done it because he was home with me at TOD,” Greg explained.

“Even if you saw him come home, he could have left after you fell asleep,” Catherine pointed out. “You have no way of knowing. I’m sorry. It’s just not a good enough alibi.”

Nick sighed. “You might as well tell her all of it, G. You’ve come this far.”

“Well, yeah, I kinda can. Because I have a habit. Of being an octopus when I’m sleeping. And I’m a really light sleeper. He pretty much can’t roll over without waking me up,” Greg said in a rush.

Catherine stared at them in shock, trying to put the evidence together from what she already knew about the two men. “You two? Is this something new?”

Nick shook his head. “No. We were together before we moved to Vegas.”

“So. Before you started working here,” Catherine said slowly.

Needing the comfort of touching Nick, Greg reached out and laid his hand against the CSI’s. Nick turned his hand over and took ahold of Greg’s. “Since before college,” Nick corrected.

“And no one knows about this?” Catherine asked.

“Here?” Greg questioned. “No. But our families know. And some friends. Mostly from back home.”

“We just preferred to keep it quiet,” Nick added. “If I hadn’t been stupid, we wouldn’t have said anything now. Technically we aren’t breaking regs since Greg’s in the lab.”

“ _If_ Greg puts this on record, then everyone is going to know. It’s going to be in the file and everyone who reads it or has access to it, is going to find out,” Catherine pointed out.

The two men exchanged looks; Greg nodding. “We know,” Nick said quietly. “We weren’t keeping quiet because of being ashamed. It just wasn’t anyone else’s business.”

“Greg has been rather vocal about his dates in the past,” Catherine reminded them. “There’s probably going to be some question about that.”

Greg snorted a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Um. Yeah. Most of those? Were with Nick. Just change the gender and maybe a few details.”

“And the flirting?” Catherine asked. “With pretty much…everyone?”

“Well, I can’t help flirting with Nick. And I flirt. I always have. Nick knows this. We’re both okay with this,” Greg answered. “Flirting doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s acting on it that does.”

“Greg knew that night that I was at Kristi’s. I told him when I got home that I’d been there,” Nick explained. “And what had happened. He can’t actually swear to any information but when I got home and that I didn’t leave, but he knew.”

“Do you always tell him everything?” Catherine questioned.

“Just about,” Nick answered.

“Good answer.” She sighed. “Okay. If the DNA on the rope doesn’t clear you, then it’s up to you and Greg whether he makes a statement. But it will probably help you more than it will hurt you.”

“I want to make the statement, Cath,” Greg insisted.

“Just hold off, Greg. Wait and see if the rope clears him first. I’d hate for you to out yourselves for no reason.” She smiled at them. “And, guys? I’m happy for you.”

“So,” Nick started when Catherine had left the room.

“Go back to work, Nicky,” Greg said quietly. “I’ll let you know if I have to make a statement.”

 

 

 

“Are you mad at me?” Nick asked as he met Greg at the end of their shift.

“No,” Greg admitted, “but I _want_ to tell them. We shouldn’t continue keeping things from them.”

“Okay, but tomorrow, all right, G?” Nick questioned. “I’m tired and I don’t want to face their twenty questions tonight.”

“Yeah,” Greg agreed. “I just wanna go home.”

Nick smiled as they got to his truck. “That I can do.”

 

 

 

Nick glanced at Greg as the younger man entered the break room to get his coffee at the beginning of their shift the next night. Greg did like to rub it in (at times) that Nick was the elder by three months and Nick would often counter by calling him _younger_. Greg looked around the room to see the rest of CSIs gathered in various groupings as they waited for assignments or calls. A few of the lab techs were also sitting as they waited for test results or their daytime counterparts to clear out of the labs.

Greg nodded in response. “Um, guys?” Nick said as a couple of the techs got up and headed towards the door. “Greg and I kinda wanted to talk to everyone.”

The techs turned back, settling into their seats as Catherine paused by the door, not entering the room. She touched Grissom’s arm, halting him when he would have continued into the breakroom. He looked up from the file he had been reading to see what was drawing everyone’s attention.

“Yeah. Uh. Nick and I…” Greg set his coffee mug down, shoving his hands into his pockets. He fidgeted when he realized all eyes were on him. “Nick?”

“I wanted to say thank you to everyone for their support during the investigation into Kristi Hopkins’s murder,” Nick told them. “And we wanted to tell y’all something.”

“We haven’t been lying to you. Exactly,” Greg said. “Just. Fudging the truth.”

“Nick?” Warrick asked. “What is he talking about?”

Reaching out, Nick tugged one of Greg’s hands out of his pocket and laced his fingers through the other man’s. “Greg and I are together,” Nick said quietly. “We have been for a while.”

“Well, if that’s all,” one of the techs said, getting to his feet.

“That explains _so_ much,” another tech said.

“Isn’t that against regs?” Sara asked, looking up from the coffee she’d been stirring aimlessly.

“Not… exactly,” Grissom spoke up from where he and Catherine were still standing in the doorway. “One in the lab, one in the field.” He shrugged, glancing back down at the file. “Don’t we have work to do?”

The team scattered at his words, pausing at the door to grab the slips of paper that Grissom held out. Nick squeezed Greg’s hand before dropping it and heading over to grab his own slip. Turning back he gave Greg a reassuring smile. “See? That went well.”

“ _You_ get to leave and go out into the field. _I_ have to stay here and deal with comments,” Greg replied.

“Call me if…”

“Nick, go deal with your case. I’ll be fine,” Greg told him.

Nick glanced back, noting that everyone had pretty much cleared out, and took the opportunity to step back into the break room. He crowded up against Greg, smiling as the slighter man just stopped himself from leaning into him. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I know,” Greg answered. “Now go on, cowboy. I’ll see you if you get some DNA.”

“Yo, Stokes, you coming or what?” Warrick called from down the hall.

Nick hurried down the hall, catching up with his friend and beginning a discussion about which of them was going to drive to the scene. It seemed nothing was going to change, despite the revelation he and Greg had dropped this evening.


End file.
